Inuit/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, and a robot, Moby, are in the Arctic. Tim is wearing a heavy parka. Moby is sawing a large, round hole in the ice. TIM: Hey, doin' some ice fishing? MOBY: Beep. Moby looks irritated. TIM: You don't have to be sarcastic. I was just making conversation. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Who are the Inuit? From, Sam TIM: The Inuit are a diverse group of people who live in the Arctic, the extremely cold region around the North Pole. An image shows an Inuit family, with a father, mother, and two children. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, some Alaskan Inuit call themselves Eskimos, but in other areas, that's kind of an insulting term. The Inuit are actually made up of independent communities stretching over three different countries: Canada, Greenland, and the United States. A map shows the area Tim describes, including southern Greenland, northern Alaska, and part of northern Canada. TIM: Most of this land lies north of the Arctic tree line, an area so cold and dry, trees are unable to grow there. A dotted line appears on the map to indicate the Arctic tree line. It runs east and west through southern Alaska and northern Canada. MOBY: Beep. Moby is hugging himself, frowning, and shivering. TIM: Yeah, it's one of the harshest environments humans have ever lived in. But the Inuit have thrived there for thousands of years! Their ancestors first settled in Alaska and slowly spread out from there. An animation illustrates the route taken by the Inuit from Asia, through present-day Alaska, and into present-day Canada and Greenland. TIM: Like other native cultures, the Inuit have lived in close harmony with their environment. Because farming was impossible, early Inuit followed a nomadic lifestyle. An animation shows a team of dogs pulling an Inuit family on a sled. TIM: That means they moved with the seasons, following the animals they depended on for food. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Seals were the most common prey, but early Inuit also relied on fish, whales, walruses, caribou, and even polar bears for nourishment. An animation shows an Inuit man holding a spear. He is surrounded by the animals Tim describes. TIM: All of that high-calorie, fatty food was essential for staying warm. And the blubber from the bears and sea mammals made great fuel for lamps and stoves. The animals' skins were used to make clothing, blankets, and tents. An animation shows an Inuit father, mother, and child in a tent made of animal skin. They are burning blubber to keep warm. The tent is made from animal skins on poles. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, that's kind of a misconception. Traditionally, the Inuit only lived in igloos during the winter months, and they were usually made of earth. Snow igloos were for temporary shelter on hunting trips. Images show an igloo made of dirt and another made of snow. TIM: Transportation changed with the seasons for early Inuit, too; in the winter, they used dogsleds. An image shows an Inuit transporting a dead walrus on a sled drawn by several dogs. TIM: That made traveling over ice and snow easy, and the dogs could always find their way home, even in a blizzard. In the summer months, the Inuit traveled by kayak or umiaq, two types of skin-covered boats. An image shows a single Inuit in a kayak. A second image shows four Inuit in an umiaq. Both boats are powered by the people rowing them. TIM: But the Inuits' most important survival tool was their sense of community. Families have always been close, with many generations living together or nearby. While fathers hunted and mothers prepared clothing and food, elders took care of the young, teaching them important skills. An image shows three generations of an Inuit family. TIM: Hunters teamed up to keep each other safe on their long journeys. An image shows one Inuit hunter helping another who has fallen over an ice cliff. TIM: And they shared their food with everyone in the community, not just their own families. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, for a long time, Europeans didn't have any use for the Arctic. But starting in the 19th century, whaling became a big business. And the Inuit were some of the best whale hunters in the world. So, they took jobs on whaling boats as harpooners and navigators. An image shows an Inuit standing on a whaling boat, harpooning a whale. TIM: At the same time, demands for furs and skins enticed Inuit hunters to trade with white men. With contact established, Inuit life began to change. An image shows an Inuit pulling up on a dogsled to a trading post. He has skins on his sled. A second image shows the same Inuit leaving the trading post with a bag of fruit. TIM: Gradually, they came to rely on staples of Western culture. And in the 20th century, airplanes made Inuit land even more accessible. An animation shows an airplane flying above clouds. TIM: People from the south established settlements and schools, which Inuit children were forced to attend. An animation shows an Inuit teacher and a classroom of Inuit children. TIM: The Inuit began living in modern homes, holding down jobs to pay for their new lifestyles. An animation shows a small, snowy Inuit town filled with modern houses. One resident drives by on a snow machine. TIM: With each passing year, they lost more of their culture. MOBY: Beep. Moby looks sad. TIM: Well, it's not like most Inuit wanted to go back to living as they used to; but their identity was slipping away! So, in the late 1970s, the Inuit Circumpolar Council was established to protect Inuit land and culture through government action. An image shows the emblem of the Inuit Circumpolar Council. TIM: Since then, there's been a revival of Inuit cultural pride across the Arctic. More children are learning Inuktitut, the Inuit language, and finding out more about their history and customs. An image shows a teacher teaching Inuktitut to a classroom full of children. TIM: And Inuit family life is still strong, with elders passing on their knowledge to the next generation before it's lost. In 1999, Canada's Inuit won a major victory: They were given their own territory. Called Nunavut, it means our land in Inuktitut. A map shows the location of Nunavut. It is in the northernmost part of Canada. Moby returns to sawing his hole in the ice. Ice can be heard cracking and a huge series of cracks branches out around Tim and Moby. TIM: Whoa. Tim and Moby fall through the ice into the water beneath it. They float on the water's surface, holding the round circle of ice Moby has sawed. TIM: Geez. We'd better get out of this cold water, fast! MOBY: Beep. Moby looks irritated. TIM: Hey, would you quit calling me Einstein? Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts